


Moult

by Angel_Negra



Category: Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-20
Updated: 2007-07-20
Packaged: 2017-10-04 03:22:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Negra/pseuds/Angel_Negra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She'd been one of the smallest ones in the nest, but that hadn't stopped her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moult

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Kikos, Arrow and Typical for the betas.

She'd been one of the smallest ones in the nest, but that hadn't stopped her. She'd simply killed her siblings when they were distracted with each other. Pretending to aid a sister here, then ripping out her throat. Waiting until a brother turned his back, then attacking him. She'd emerged from the melee as the sole survivor, and relished in feasting on her prize. Her mother's dying corpse was flush with power that filled her from her claws to the tips of her wings.

She'd pulled herself from the nest, curling and twisting her long scaled torso to help move her along. Looking about this strange place in curiosity, she flicked her tail absently. It was then that she saw him. He was huge, towering over her, his wings casting dark shadows along the floor. His skin shone a dull gold. She thought the horns on his head looked appealing. And then he laughed. It was a deep, delighted laugh that wound its way through her body.

She crawled closer, her own wings flapping lightly to speed her progress.

He crouched down to her level, stretching out a clawed hand. "Well done," he said, baring his teeth, still sounding amused. "I think I shall call you Vypra."

Vypra bared her own teeth, trying to imitate this creature. "Vypra," she echoed, trying to wrap her pointed teeth and cold mouth around the word. It didn't sound as nice as when he said it, and she hissed at herself in annoyance, her forked tongue flicking out.

He laughed again. "You may call me Diabolico. I am your Master."

"Yesss, Diabolico," Vypra said, feeling a deep sense of rightness to those words.

***

Looking back on that first meeting, Vypra always knew that would have been the day she fell in love with Diabolico - had she been capable of such an emotion. As it was, she quickly rose in his ranks, learning all the magics he would teach her. She learned, too, to worship their powerful Queen.

Vypra was a great warrior now. The humans she'd terrorized used to call her a demon dragon. Vypra could fly faster than any horse, her claws stronger than any armour. If it hadn't been for that cursed Warlock... Vypra snarled and stuck at a Batling with her tail, sending it flying into a pillar.

"Vypra, come to me."

Even after thousands of years, Diabolico's voice still resonated in the darkest parts of Vypra's mind and body. "Yesss, Diabolico," she said, flapping her wings and taking flight.

***

She found him by one of the cracks of the Warlock's seal. The one near their old temple. There was a dirty human child crouched by Diabolico's feet, staring around in fear. When the child saw her, it recoiled, as if it was trying to merge with the very rocks. It kept making annoying squeaking sounds until Vypra snarled at it.

"Vypra," said Diabolico, amused.

Vypra gave him a grin and wound her body around his in greeting. She could hear the child's harsh breathing echo off the walls. Her grin widened, knowing what it saw. Vypra's kind were winged serpents, sometimes likened to dragons, covered in steel grey scales. Full rows of knife sharp teeth filled her mouth, and her forked tongue long and quick.

Diabolico ran his claws lightly down her back and Vypra gave a hiss of appreciation. "I have a job for you."

"You want me to kill it?" Vypra nodded at the child.

"No, I want you to train him."

Vypra froze. "Train. Him?" She flicked her wings in irritation.

Diabolico laughed. "Ryan here is going to help us get free. And in turn, we shall help him destroy his father."

Vypra cocked her head at the child. "And how am I supposed to train it? He has a human's body."

"Like this." Diabolico laid his hand on her head and began to mutter. Magic poured from his hand into her body, filling her,

She screamed.

Her skin split, sloughing off her. She felt cold. Weak. Soft. Vypra collapsed from the pain, writhing and shaking as her scales slid off. And when it was over, she lay there, gasping. Her whole body felt strange. She flicked out her tongue, brushing over dull, flat teeth.

She tried to push herself up, and saw her forepaws. Pale, soft arms. Human arms. Looking down further. Human body. Reaching her hands up - no claws. Human face. She snarled at Diabolico. Her wings flicking in irritation. Her wings! She tried to reach back to reassure herself they were still really there. And fell onto her face. She let out a cry of anger.

Diabolico knelt beside her. "This is only temporary. Do your job and when we bring back Queen Bansheera, she will return you to your former glory."

Vypra looked at him, confused and hurt. "But, I don't unverstand..." She couldn't wrap this soft, tiny mouth around her words properly.

"Ryan needs to learn the human world as well as ours. I can not go with him. In this form, you can." He stood up. "We have merely a handful of years to prepare. Be ready to start his training in the morning." With that, Diabolico pulled the child to its feet and walked deeper into their prison.

Vypra stared after him, and then realized her face was wet. She wiped at it, smearing this wetness across her soft cheeks. It took her three tries to get to her feet, her shoulders so fragile and stretched out. This new body wouldn't stop shaking. Of course, these weak human bodies required clothing. She flapped her wings, but they were too wrong - they sat weird - to make this body fly.

She landed hard and on something smooth and cold. Her old skin. Vypra clutched it to her, an idea occurring to her. Human bodies needed clothing. And her scales were strong. It wasn't perfect, but at least she could keep something of her old self.

Struggling to her feet again, she knew she would master this body. Learn to walk, to fight. Maybe talk? She shook her head, nearly toppling again. Talking like a human wasn't as important. She would not stay in this wretched soft skin that long.

Even when she was the weakest, Vypra did not lose.

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Oddly enough, I was inspired to write this because Vypra had a bad actress. Which is a valid enough explanation for Vypra when you're just watching the show. But, the character herself? Was pretty evil. She had the best record of going up against the Rangers and surviving, and her plans - where she'd be right in the thick of it? Would come damn close to killing at least one Ranger. I mean, this is the demon who crawled out of a ruined temple and set about raising a demon to take on 12 Rangers.
> 
> So this was me, trying to make sense of why such an evil character was so out of synch with herself. And it also doubles as an explanation for how Ryan could be absent from the human world for roughly 12 years and not have any problems using computers/reading/speaking/etc.


End file.
